Serenity In Your Arms
by SurvivalAboveAll
Summary: When you feel like there is no hope, that your grief is consuming you, there will always be someone who'll ease your pain. It just so happens that Hinata's savior is none other than the Copy Ninja himself. - Slightly AU. KakaHina.
1. Prologue: Nights like this

_**A/N: Hello and Welcome!**_ **Ágnes _here! This is just a little something I did the other day to channel my negative emotions. In all honesty, school sucks. But anyway, leave a review if you feel like it. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but keep in mind that English is my third language. :)_**

* * *

 **Prologue: Nights like this**

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Thunder crackled in the distance, lightning flashing soon after. The storm clouds shifted uneasily, as it let out another violent torrent. The rain fell down heavily on the deserted streets of Konoha, washing away the inhabitants' merriness and leaving a gloomy feeling in its place.

It was almost midnight. The lonely figure of a young woman wandered around aimlessly in the rain. Her wet hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks, and her lavender eyes stared into the distance. It was nights like this, that the dreadful memories flooded her mind, leaving no chance of getting a good night's sleep.

She remembered him vividly; the slight lavender tint in his featureless white eyes, the fairness of his skin, the softness of his voice… Everything. When she closed her eyes she could still see him, smiling subtly at her whenever she succeeded to master a new technique during their training sessions.

It was hard to believe that her cousin was dead. On the battlefield, when he protected her from the Ten-Tail's wood projectiles and passed away in the arms of a certain blond ninja, she could not process his death. Only after the war came to an end did it hit her, and it hit hard. She would cry herself to sleep for months until there were no tears left. While the Shinobi World celebrated their victory, she mourned with every fiber of her being. Even now, years later she still couldn't let go of him. She lost her appetite long ago and during the night she laid sleeplessly in her bed. Her friends were concerned about her health, but she ignored them. She didn't feel any remorse for alarming them. She was numb. Just the emotionless shell of the little shy girl she once was.

In the dead of the night, she found herself in a familiar neighborhood. Ever since she found someone who understood her pain, someone who experienced the same kind of trauma, she wandered these streets quite a lot. Within seconds, she made up her mind and walked over to the small block of flats. The young woman climbed to stairs to the second floor, and knocked quietly on the rusty apartment door. Time passed by slowly as she stood in the lonely hallway, but after a while she heard the rustling of footsteps and a soft yawn.

The door opened with a loud crack. A mass of shaggy silver hair appeared in front of her, the man's formerly sleepy eyes widened slightly with surprise.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?" He raised an eyebrow at the young woman's soaked figure. It was late. And even though she was welcome in the older man's house at any time, he never once thought that she'd visit him at such an ungodly hour.

Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Her emotional grief turned into physical pain as she clenched her fists close to her chest.

"Will… will this pain ever g-go away, Kakashi?"

The man's expression softened at her faint voice, remembering inwardly the dark period after Rin's death. With a small sigh, he squeezed her shoulder and stared deep into her lavender eyes.

"No, it won't. But you'll get used to it."

At that moment Hinata threw herself in the arms of the silver haired Jounin; her tight grip almost hurt, but Kakashi let her hug him, his large palms stroking her long wet strands affectionately.

"You'll get used to it," he repeated. "I won't leave you alone."

It was nights like this, that she lost her hope, but she was glad to have him by her side. The older man gave her a sense of safety no one else could, she depended on him more than she would ever admit. She knew that if she lost him now, she would be a goner. Without his emotional support she would simply give up.

It was nights like this, that he whispered soothing words in her ears and promised to be by her side until the end.

It was nights like this, that Hinata forgot all about her pain for a second and experienced a moment of serenity in Kakashi's arms.


	2. Chapter One: An unexpected visitor

**_A/N: Hello,_** **Ágnes** ** _here! In all honesty, I intended for this to be a one-shot, but after I saw how many of you followed the story (some of you even left a review voicing their desire for the story to be continued), I decided to expand it. I was never good at romance, but I'll use this opportunity to practice this genre._**

 ** _I changed the title and the summary to fit a multi-chapter story better. The first chapter is now kinda like a prologue/teaser, and it is very similar to this one in some aspects, but I just wanted to give this story a proper beginning. Updates will come sporadically; I still don't know where I'm going with this…_**

 ** _Anyway, thank you for those who reviewed so far! Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter One: An unexpected visitor**

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Five years after the Fourth Great Shinobi World War, things were slowly getting back to normal in Konohagakure. The scars have healed, both physical and emotional ones, and everybody has settled down in a seemingly peaceful era. Kakashi Hatake, too, enjoyed these quiet days. He went on a couple of missions every now and then, but they weren't thrilling like before. After his former students went their separate ways; Naruto became an excellent ANBU, Sakura was nominated as Head of the Konohagakure Hospital and Sasuke decided to travel around, becoming a spy for his home village, much like Jiraiya-sama; Kakashi was given a new squad of Genins. They were a handful bunch, often reminding the silver haired Jounin of the former Team 7. During the day, the obnoxious chatter of the three gave him headaches, so it was no wonder that he went home as soon as possible, declining any kind of invitation to socialize. He would just lie down on his couch and enjoy the silence, possibly read a book or two.

That night he did just that. The 36 years old man stretched across his old couch, a content sigh escaping his lips. Using one arm as a pillow, the other hanging nonchalantly in the air, Kakashi soon found his consciousness slowly drifting away. The tranquility of the night made him relax and let his guard down, even for just a second.

Maybe that's why he didn't feel the familiar chakra signature coming his way.

The soft knock startled him. Slowly sitting up from his comfortable position, Kakashi walked over to the front door, surpassing a yawn on his way. With his foggy mind, he didn't recognize the person's chakra at first, so when he opened the rusty door, he was quite shocked to find a certain Hyuga heiress standing in front of him, soaked to the bone and with a disturbed expression planted on her features.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?" Raising an eyebrow, he took in the young woman's appearance.

Half a year ago, they met by chance in the cemetery. She was really upset; it was evident that she was suffering. They talked for hours, and only then did she tell him about her pain. He knew the feeling of losing someone dear; God, he really knew. Right then and there, Kakashi decided to help the girl and provide the emotional support she needed. He spent time with her, tried to get her mind off of her loss; he even let her into his apartment, which was a miracle in itself. But never would've he thought that she would show up at his doorstep in the middle of the night.

At his question, the young woman grimaced. She opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. After a moment, she finally found her voice.

"Will… will this pain ever g-go away, Kakashi?"

He wasn't sure when had she stopped referring to him as 'sensei', but the thought quickly left his mind. His expression softened at her words.

"No, it won't. But you'll get used to it."

The silver haired Jounin blinked in surprise as he found himself in the Hyuga's tight hug. Nevertheless, he continued to give her emotional support, repeating himself over and over again. She would get used to it. She had to.

It felt like an eternity has passed before Hinata loosened her grip; she was relatively calm now. Kakashi couldn't hide his relief, his eyes beamed with what felt like happiness, and the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. Even though the lower half of his face was hidden, the young woman saw his smile. She wanted to, but she couldn't return it, so she lowered her head instead.

The man found himself at a loss now. He couldn't possibly send her away in a storm like this, not to mention that it would hurt her feelings greatly. But he couldn't invite her in either; it felt just wrong to have her in his house in the middle of the night. The neighbors would surely misunderstand if they saw her walking out from his apartment in the morning.

Hinata hugged herself self-consciously, the silence between them became suffocating.

"Thank you. I'll… I'll be on my way now."

"Wait." Just as she was about to leave, Kakashi put his large hand on her fragile shoulder. He couldn't blame her for being surprised; even the Jounin himself couldn't comprehend why he stopped her. "I can't have you wander around in the rain at such a late hour."

Looking into Hinata's large lavender eyes, he reluctantly made up his mind.

"Come in."

The young woman didn't need to be told twice, she stepped into the small apartment, her footsteps soft against the wooden floor. She looked around in the dark, somewhat curiously; this familiar place was so much different in the nighttime. During the day, it was welcoming and soothing, but now the atmosphere held an unmistakably mystery to it. Frankly, she didn't mind; if anything, she liked it.

As Hinata walked towards his living room, she heard Kakashi close the door behind her. She noticed the slightly disheveled sofa; he was most likely asleep when she got here.

"Sorry," she started. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

The older man smiled at her softly.

"You didn't. I was just reading."

Eyeing the books on the coffee table, Hinata nodded, but deep down she knew he told her a white lie just now.

Looking her over, Kakashi frowned. If she stayed in her wet clothes much longer, she would catch a cold. Mentioning for her to wait there, he walked into his bathroom. After snatching a couple of towels and some clean clothes, he walked back to the young woman. Hinata watched him curiously as he handed her the fabrics; smiling, he unceremoniously dropped a towel onto her head.

"Get changed. You can sleep in my bedroom tonight, I'll take the couch." Hinata was about to voice her protest, when the older man put up his hand. "Don't worry. I sleep in the living room every night either way."

Hinata nodded hesitantly, and after another second of eyeing Kakashi's kind smile, she disappeared into the said bedroom.

Making sure she didn't hear him, the Jounin let out a long sigh. He dropped down tiredly onto the couch; the worry gradually invaded his thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder: what had upset the heiress?

Rubbing his eyes roughly, he realized something.

If Hiashi Hyuga was to find out about his daughter spending the night there, Kakashi would be seriously in trouble.


	3. Chapter Two: You have me

**_A/N: Hello,_** **Ágnes _here! In all honesty, why do I use "in all honesty" in every Author's note that I write!?_**

 ** _Anyway, I actually managed to update this! What an accomplishment, I'm actually proud of myself. (No, there is no sarcasm there. Not at all.) Now I have a vague outline of the plot, but I will keep it as simple as possible. I try to focus on some character development, but if you have any suggestions or ideas for this story/couple, feel free to send me a PM. I don't bite. :P_**

 ** _Also, I edited the first chapter, because I wasn't happy with it. There are no big changes, just some minor ones._**

 ** _As always, thank you for those who left a review! Enjoy!_**

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 **Chapter Two: You have me**

* * *

She had to admit, Kakashi's caring gesture surprised her. He let her in, landed her some dry clothes and he was alright with her spend the night there. He had no obligation to do so, whatsoever. His act of selflessness warmed her numb self and comforted her troubled mind. In her own, broken way, Hinata was glad and felt nothing but gratitude towards the silver haired man.

The heiress took her time; she dried her hair and body with the towels Kakashi gave her and she laid her wet clothes on the back of a chair in the hopes that they would dry by tomorrow. Then, she turned to the pile of fabric she was given. The dark blue T-shirt was way too big for her, and the pants would most likely fall off of her, so she didn't bother trying them on. Putting the pants to the side, she took the shirt into her hands, and after further examination she decided that it would be a decent nightgown.

But nothing could have prepared her for what was to come.

As she was about to put Kakashi's shirt on, a familiar scent caught her attention. Holding the fabric to her nose, she inhaled deeply. The Jounin always smelled like the earth after a rainy day mixed with the distinctive smell of sweat, but this… The smell of herbs and fresh water was most probably the merit of his detergent.

But God… Neji-nii was using that detergent too.

Just when she was feeling the smallest amount of happiness spread over her being, she just _had_ to encounter something that reminded her of her late cousin. Oh, Kakashi… Why did you and Neji have to have similar tastes?

With a heavy heart, Hinata finally put her improvised nightgown on and made herself comfortable under the warm sheets. Her thoughts, however, wouldn't let her sleep just yet. Dwelling on the past, it was only several hours later, that sleep claimed her mind, her consciousness slowly slipping away.

~ o ~

The next morning Kakashi woke with a start. The loud clinking and fumbling coming from the kitchen alarmed him, but feeling the young woman's chakra signature, he relaxed instantly.

"Oh, right…" he mumbled to himself, "I let her stay here last night."

Feeling more tired than usual; he ruffled his hair, a yawn escaping his lips in the process. After a couple of minutes, he got up from his cozy couch and walked into the kitchen, feeling rather curious as to what could she possibly do to cause this racket first thing in the morning.

Kakashi found Hinata sitting on her heels, trying to collect the shards of what looked like a broken cup, while its content was still leaching his kitchen floor. Shaking his head, he leaned against the door frame.

"I knew I should've replaced those cups a long time ago."

Startled, the heiress shot her head up. She quickly stood up, already finished gathering the shards, and bowed to the silver haired man in apology.

"I'm sorry! I woke you up, and I broke-"

"No harm done." Kakashi cut her off, with a subtle smile on his lips. "I broke one too, just the other day. It's their destiny to end up in shards, it seems."

Hinata nodded her head softly, but she didn't smile. For some strange reason, the Jounin felt disappointed. A strange longing enchained his mind; he wanted to see her smile, her eyes shine with happiness again. Then, Kakashi would know that he did a good job while supporting her.

As he stood there; observing as the young woman got rid of the shards and started wiping the floor with a cloth; he noticed just how much she has changed since the war. (The absence of the pants he gave her didn't bother him, _not at all_.) Her features hardened to some extent and her shy gestures were no longer present. The most distinct change however, was the fact that she stopped shuttering. Kakashi didn't know if it was a good thing or not, seeing as this was a side effect of her depression. She just didn't care enough anymore.

"Are your clothes still wet?" he asked absently.

Sometime during the night it stopped raining, and even though the clouds were still present, Hinata would be able to walk home now.

"A little bit, but I won't catch a cold." Silence filled the room as she fumbled with the wet cloth a little bit more before dropping it into the sink.

They ate their breakfast in comfortable silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. There was a certain thing that bugged the Jounin and made him curious and worried at the same time: what has caused Hinata's break down the night before? He suspected that there was more to it this time than a revived childhood memory.

"What happened yesterday?" The Jounin asked quietly, noticing how Hinata's movements halted for a couple of seconds. "You usually come here unannounced when something is troubling you. Seeing as you showed up at midnight it must've been something serious."

Hinata hesitated, but in the end, the silver haired man was the only one with whom she could talk. She leaned back in her seat and hugged herself tightly, the numbness from the night before slowly making its way back into her mind and body.

" _His_ birthday…" she sighed, lavender eyes meeting dark grey ones for a second. "It was yesterday. I wanted to visit his grave, but I had training in the afternoon and father forbid me to go. He said he'd disinherit me if I skipped a single training session from now on." Hinata stopped briefly, sneaking a glance in Kakashi's direction. He sat still, waiting for her to continue. "I don't care about my position as an heir anymore, so I went against father's words. As I sat there in the cemetery I realized just how alone I've been in my own home after the war… The clan, my family doesn't care about me anymore. They don't want me around, I'm in their way."

Closing his eyes, Kakashi took a sip of coffee; the warm liquid burning his throat. His mind was flooded with concern and the only thing he could think of was the fact that someone needed to talk with the Hyuga clan's Head. This couldn't go on like this anymore.

"A family never ignores your grief, Hinata. They help you with everything they can and make you feel loved during a difficult period. They are beside you, no matter what."

"Then I guess you are my family." A small sigh escaped her lips as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I'm glad that you see me like this, but you should try and talk with someone from your clan. Your sister or maybe even your father…"

"No." was her immediate answer. "I already tried, they won't listen to what I have to say."

"What about your friends and former teammates?"

"They won't say it, but I know that I get on their nerves. They just had enough of someone who is drowning in 'self-pity'."

I that moment Kakashi realized that she was indeed alone. So alone that it almost hurt just thinking about it. The Jounin instinctively stood up, walked around the table and knelt down beside her chair, so they'd be eye to eye.

"You have me. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: I'm _not_ going to leave you."

Hinata's lips twitched and Kakashi swore that it was supposed to be a smile. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer, burying her face into his neck. The older man allowed himself a small smile before hugging her back.

"Thank you," she exhaled. "Can I ask something of you?"

"Of course."

"Please, change your detergent."

Kakashi had to surpass a laugh, but voiced his agreement nonetheless. He didn't ask why; if it made her just a little bit more comfortable and happier, he would certainly do it.

~ o ~

Neither of them noticed that in the shadows of the nearby trees stood an old friend, his piercing eyes never leaving their hugging forms.


End file.
